8/10

Jehnny Beth has never been one to tiptoe. And her new album 'You Heartbreaker, You' reaffirms her place as one of rock’s fiercest and most uncompromising voices. Where her debut solo record leaned into artful introspection, this one sounds like a gauntlet thrown: jagged, unrelenting, and crackling with urgency.

The first glimpse comes in 'Broken Rib', a track that lives up to its name. Over serrated guitars and stark percussion, Beth delivers lines that feel equal parts wound and weapon, delivering the sound of someone dragging vitality out of damage. The production, crafted with longtime collaborator Johnny Hostile, is raw yet sculpted, every hit landing with teeth.

The album itself, recorded at the pair’s 20L07 studio in France, doesn’t shy from its moment in history. Beth has described 'You Heartbreaker, You' as a scream into a world of fracture and cruelty, but also as an embrace of the primal pulse that keeps people fighting, loving, and surviving in spite of it all. The tracklist offers plenty of this bruising honesty from 'No Good For People' and 'I Still Believe' to the evocatively titled 'High Resolution Sadness'.

'You Heartbreaker, You' is the sharpening of a blade, the howl of an artist who refuses to soften with age or acclaim. In a time that rewards apathy, Jehnny Beth offers a reminder that vulnerability can still be venomous, and that the scream is sometimes the most necessary form of prayer.